Jacquej57
Chirping
- Jun 12, 2021
- 43
- 338
- 89
I have been taking advantage of this site since I found it last February, and officially joined a couple of months ago, so I figured it was past time to do my new member introduction! Because I am very literal, I will follow the prescribed format!
1) I am brand new to chickens. Last November my husband and I finally found a farm house that we could rent. Due to the pandemic, I was suddenly able to work from home so we took full advantage of that fact and moved 2 hours away from Sioux Falls to a 100+ year old farm house that came complete with an established, predator proof chicken coop. Even though the house is old and missing some things like a dishwasher or garbage disposal (both easily fixed over time) that chicken coop won me over immediately. In March I purchased chicks from the feed store and spent the next several weeks stressing over every little thing! That's when I started visiting this site daily looking for information and assurance.
2-3) We started with 16 Rhode Island Red and Isa Brown chicks. I didn't lose any in the brooder or for the first few weeks we had them in the coop. We lost one to a predator the first day they free ranged (which almost made me lock them up forever). Last month we added an Egyptian Fayoumi cockerel who is doing a superior job of keeping his girls together and marching around the property. He is respectful to the pullets and is only breeding with the ones who are squatting for him. We started getting our first eggs last Saturday and I am as proud of those little eggs as if they were jewels! Averaging 4-5 a day right now.
4) I do not have any single thing that is my favorite thing about having chickens. I love every part of it. I love feeding them and how they run to me when I call "here chick chick chick" as they know I have something good to eat. I love the one who had pasty butt as a baby so was handled more and who runs to me to sit on my lap and enjoy cuddle time. I love watching the rooster dance and tidbit for his ladies. I love the girls taking turns running back to the coop to lay their eggs. I love that they have a routine around their day, so I pretty much know where they will be at any particular time. I love looking out my office window and watching chickens being chickens. I love watching them take advantage of the chicken swing I built, and actually "pumping" to keep it swinging. And I really love the nighttime shuffle and muttering that does with finding their perfect perching site.
5) My hobbies tend towards the homey crafts. I love to garden, bake, cook, can, knit, crochet, and needlepoint. I love to read and do so constantly. I am happiest working on something that accomplishes something: a new blanket, a row full of preserved foods, a freezer full of baked goods.
6) My husband and I raised our 4 birth children and my niece. My oldest son is a congressman, my oldest daughter a vet tech who loves to do the same things I do, my second son works with women who are just getting out of prison and are living in a halfway house, my niece works managing a restaurant and my youngest daughter works for the state. My husband is retired. Between birth and bonus grandkids (I refuse to call them step grandkids) we currently have 17. All of them live in South Dakota which is amazing.
I currently work for the State of SD but until we moved back home to South Dakota 2 years ago I was working in Animal Rescue at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. My husband and I had the privilege of working with several of the fighting dogs rescued from football player Michael Vick's fighting kennels. We ended up adopting one who was my heart dog. Because of Ray and how much he meant to us we ended up adopting other pit bull terrier type dogs. We currently have 3, two rescued from dog fighting and a bottle baby puppy we took on after the loss of one of our dogs. We also have a blue and gold macaw who thinks that we should all go to bed at 9 and lets us know in no uncertain terms that he disagrees with our decision to stay up and watch tv.
7) and finally, I found this site after searching for information about what I needed to know before bringing home chicks. Because of the information I found here I think I avoided many common problems. I credit the things i read here with helping me raise happy healthy chicks who are well fed and happy chickens.
I know this is crazy long....but I wanted to get it all out there. Thank you for having such an amazing site that allows me to find the info I need when I need it. You have kept me from panicking multiple times.
1) I am brand new to chickens. Last November my husband and I finally found a farm house that we could rent. Due to the pandemic, I was suddenly able to work from home so we took full advantage of that fact and moved 2 hours away from Sioux Falls to a 100+ year old farm house that came complete with an established, predator proof chicken coop. Even though the house is old and missing some things like a dishwasher or garbage disposal (both easily fixed over time) that chicken coop won me over immediately. In March I purchased chicks from the feed store and spent the next several weeks stressing over every little thing! That's when I started visiting this site daily looking for information and assurance.
2-3) We started with 16 Rhode Island Red and Isa Brown chicks. I didn't lose any in the brooder or for the first few weeks we had them in the coop. We lost one to a predator the first day they free ranged (which almost made me lock them up forever). Last month we added an Egyptian Fayoumi cockerel who is doing a superior job of keeping his girls together and marching around the property. He is respectful to the pullets and is only breeding with the ones who are squatting for him. We started getting our first eggs last Saturday and I am as proud of those little eggs as if they were jewels! Averaging 4-5 a day right now.
4) I do not have any single thing that is my favorite thing about having chickens. I love every part of it. I love feeding them and how they run to me when I call "here chick chick chick" as they know I have something good to eat. I love the one who had pasty butt as a baby so was handled more and who runs to me to sit on my lap and enjoy cuddle time. I love watching the rooster dance and tidbit for his ladies. I love the girls taking turns running back to the coop to lay their eggs. I love that they have a routine around their day, so I pretty much know where they will be at any particular time. I love looking out my office window and watching chickens being chickens. I love watching them take advantage of the chicken swing I built, and actually "pumping" to keep it swinging. And I really love the nighttime shuffle and muttering that does with finding their perfect perching site.
5) My hobbies tend towards the homey crafts. I love to garden, bake, cook, can, knit, crochet, and needlepoint. I love to read and do so constantly. I am happiest working on something that accomplishes something: a new blanket, a row full of preserved foods, a freezer full of baked goods.
6) My husband and I raised our 4 birth children and my niece. My oldest son is a congressman, my oldest daughter a vet tech who loves to do the same things I do, my second son works with women who are just getting out of prison and are living in a halfway house, my niece works managing a restaurant and my youngest daughter works for the state. My husband is retired. Between birth and bonus grandkids (I refuse to call them step grandkids) we currently have 17. All of them live in South Dakota which is amazing.
I currently work for the State of SD but until we moved back home to South Dakota 2 years ago I was working in Animal Rescue at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. My husband and I had the privilege of working with several of the fighting dogs rescued from football player Michael Vick's fighting kennels. We ended up adopting one who was my heart dog. Because of Ray and how much he meant to us we ended up adopting other pit bull terrier type dogs. We currently have 3, two rescued from dog fighting and a bottle baby puppy we took on after the loss of one of our dogs. We also have a blue and gold macaw who thinks that we should all go to bed at 9 and lets us know in no uncertain terms that he disagrees with our decision to stay up and watch tv.
7) and finally, I found this site after searching for information about what I needed to know before bringing home chicks. Because of the information I found here I think I avoided many common problems. I credit the things i read here with helping me raise happy healthy chicks who are well fed and happy chickens.
I know this is crazy long....but I wanted to get it all out there. Thank you for having such an amazing site that allows me to find the info I need when I need it. You have kept me from panicking multiple times.
We're so happy you've decided to join us
